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Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 11, 2012

To Kagoshima in search of a great samurai unbowed

Flying into Kagoshima from Tokyo across the volcanic landscape of Kirishima and Ebino Kogen, I feel as if I'm arriving in another country. The air is moist and warm, the light sharper, the sky bluer and the foliage intensely green, sprawling exuberantly over the rugged hills.
Japan Times
LIFE
Nov 11, 2012

The war legacy that binds Okinawa and Vietnam

As the motorbike taxi I'm aboard zigzags through the traffic in Da Nang, Vietnam's fourth-largest city, a bus pulls out of nowhere, causing my driver to brake, swerve and slam us into a sidewalk stack of bamboo cages packed with soft plump ducklings.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 10, 2012

Okinawa — a different world with its own time zone

After waiting 10 days on Amami Oshima for Typhoon No. 21, it finally blew in. All week long, locals had dropped by our boat to inform us that it was not safe tied up where it was — at the guest berth at the sea station. But when we inquired where we could move it to, no one knew. We couldn't leave...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 9, 2012

Jazzing up the industrial city

On one side you have Montreux, a Swiss resort town on the banks of Lake Geneva that has seen many famous residents over the years, and which has been immortalized in the lyrics of the Deep Purple song "Smoke On The Water." On the other you have a Japanese city in the heart of the world's most heavily...
Reader Mail
Nov 8, 2012

Resist purchase of the Osprey

As for the Oct. 31 Kyodo article "Some officials argue for equipping (Self-Defense Forces) with Ospreys": As if to thumb its nose at Okinawa's vociferous opposition to deployment of the Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, the central government is examining...
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Nov 8, 2012

Pending issues: Japan's isle rows, Futenma, TPP

Dealing with tensions between Japan and its East Asian neighbors, resolving the long-stalled relocation of the U.S. Futenma base, negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade deal, and promoting nuclear power while Japan looks to phase it out are just some of the bilateral issues U.S. President...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 8, 2012

"The Symbolists: Apostles of Visionary Beauty"

In the late 19th century, with the better part of the West in the grip of materialism, a group of artists united under the label Symbolism in an effort to counter the trend. Instead of staying within the realm of realism and possibility, Symbolists pursued an ideal beauty and tackled the raison d'etre...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 8, 2012

"47 Good Design"

Led by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion, Good Design Award is an initiative that first kicked off in 1957, with the primary objective being to boost overall public interest in design. Since its inception, the award has been given to around 38,000 designs, chosen because of their potential to improve...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 8, 2012

"Yamaguchi Kayo"

Kayo Yamaguchi (1899-1984) developed his interest in portraying animals while still a child. He later apprenticed himself to Goun Nishimura, and learned the traditional technique of Japanese realistic-painting. As he furthered his career, Yamaguchi began to experiment with a more "modern" Western painting...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 8, 2012

"The Spirit of Kuniyoshi: From Ukiyoe to Japanese Modern Paintings"

Kuniyoshi Utagawa (1798-1861) was one Japan's greatest ukiyo-e (woodblock print) artists during the late Edo Period (1603-1867). He is perhaps best known for his visually striking depictions of traditional Japanese warriors. But Utagawa also portrayed the beauty of Japanese women in a genre called bijinga...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 4, 2012

It's a bad time for Sapio to downsize

Japan's first two shūkanshi (weekly magazines) appeared so closely, their arrival could be described as analogous to a "photo start" as opposed to a photo finish. The Asahi Shimbun launched Junkan Asahi on Feb. 25, 1922. Rather than appearing weekly, however, it was issued on the 5th, 15th and 25th...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 1, 2012

"Traces of Hands: Sculpture and Drawings by Rodin and Bourdelle from the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo"

Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) carved out his career as a sculptor by embracing such predominant artistic trends as romanticism while pursuing originality in his style. Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929), meanwhile, apprenticed himself to Rodin, becoming one of his deepest admirers. The National Museum of Western...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 1, 2012

"Yoshihiro Suda Exhibition"

Yoshihiro Suda is known for his highly accomplished wood-carving technique, which he uses to fashion extremely realistic recreations of foliage and flowers. He often presents his work by placing them in the corner of a room, where one might least expect to find them. His delicately carved wooden flowers...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 1, 2012

"Ekin, the Great"

Although born into a family of merchants in southwestern Japan, Edo-Period illustrator Kinzo (1812-76) was endowed with such outstanding skills that as an adolescent he moved to Tokyo to study at the prestigious Kano painting school. After returning to his hometown, he continued his career by serving...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 1, 2012

"Denchu Hirakushi: A Retrospective"

Born in Okayama Prefecture, Denchu Hirakushi (1872-1979) developed his interest in figurative art when he was 17. He then moved to Osaka and Nara to practice his skills before finally setting his foot in Tokyo at the age of 25. Shortly after, he acquainted himself with a Zen Buddhist named Kasan Nishiyama...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Oct 30, 2012

Tokyo Designers Week: Say hello to the best again

Something old, something new Halloween is here, which means Tokyo Designers Week is, too. The latter is, of course, what we're particularly interested in, and since you are reading this on the day it kicks off, we forego our regular product-recommendation format and instead offer some guidance on what...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LIGHT GIST
Oct 30, 2012

The world according to Toru Hashimoto

Loved by his supporters for his fiery rhetoric — which often involves bashing the Tokyo-centric status quo, overpaid local bureaucrats, utility executives, teachers' unions or, indeed, anybody who disagrees with him — Hashimoto's critics charge that he's a dangerous rightwing demagogue seeking a...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / BACKSTREET STORIES
Oct 28, 2012

Seeking out what's in store for Kuramae

Back when Tokyo was Edo and Tokugawa shoguns ruled the land (1603-1867), the burgeoning city's most vital staple, rice, was protected in kura (storage houses) along the right bank of the Sumida River. Then, by the simple expedient of adding mae (in front of) to "kura," the area facing the white-washed,...
EDITORIALS
Oct 27, 2012

Treat Okinawans with respect

The alleged rape on Oct. 16 of an Okinawan woman by two U.S. servicemen outside her apartment building in the city of Okinawa has stoked great anger among the prefecture's residents. Adding insult to injury, Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto and Vice Foreign Minister Shuji Kira made insensitive remarks...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 25, 2012

"The Essence of Finnish Design and Culture"

Showcasing some of Finland's most outstanding and well-known creations, such as original illustrations from the "Moomin" picture books by Tove Jansson, this exhibition puts forward Finnish design as a forerunner to much modern design and fashion.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 25, 2012

"Art Walk: Selections from the Collection of the Bridgestone Museum of Art"

The Bridgestone Museum of Art boasts a broad collection of works that runs the gamut from the ancient to the contemporary.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 25, 2012

"El Greco's Visual Poetics"

El Greco began his career in Greece as a Christian icon painter before moving to Italy to master Western painting techniques and then finally settling down in Spain.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 25, 2012

"Tokyo Art Meeting 3: Art and Music — Search for New Synesthesia"

For some, art and music are inseparable. Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky, for example, created artworks inspired by synesthesia, while Swiss-German painter Paul Klee visualized the world of music. Many musicians, too, such as composer John Milton Cage, created works that appealed both visually and...

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake